Love Monday mornings because they consist of on-camera experience!

The biggest question in any part of your life is going to be, “Is this right for me?” or “Is this where I should be?”

I remember having those questions and more run through my mind before, during and after the application process for Columbia College Chicago’s Journalism MA program.

Anxiety, debate, stress, excitement and worry flooded my brain. It was one of those times where I had researched, questioned, applied, waited, was accepted and was still unsure if I should follow through with the rest of the process.

Deep down I knew this was what I really wanted, but I found myself continually trying to convince myself to leave my advertising job, my family and my home—basically everything I’d come to know my entire life—to pursue my dream career.

After bursting into tears of joy and relief when I received my special “Valentine”—aka my acceptance letter—in the mail, I still had trouble putting in my notice to leave my job and even took my time accepting the offer to attend Columbia.

That’s where the Admitted Student Day played a major role.

I cannot believe that a year ago I was attending Admitted Students Day as a potential student and meeting my ambassador, Katie Kather, for the first time.

Here I am a year later—the new ambassador of the program and Katie is one of my good friends. It’s amazing what all can happen in one year’s time.

Whether you’re like me or not, Admitted Student Day is a great experience to take advantage of. Not only do you get a chance to come and see Columbia’s downtown campus, but you also get a feel for the journalism department and a better understanding of how this program will benefit you.

Everybody has different career goals in life. Everyone has a vision of what they want to be when they grow up. And although I can tell you the ins and outs of Columbia’s Journalism MA program, Admitted Student Day is where all your questions are answered and all of your doubts are removed—at least in my opinion.

You clearly want to pursue this education and career path or you wouldn’t be reading this right now. Whether you’re on the fence about what is right for you, you’ll never fully know until you try it.

It goes back to the saying, “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” or “You won’t know unless you try it.” That is Admitted Student Day in a nutshell.

You get to see the school, meet with admissions, talk about joining the Columbia family, find out the best places to live, what city life is like, and other logistics of your decision to come here. Then you get a tour of the Journalism MA department to see the newsroom, the studio, a classroom in session, etc. You then get to join current students for lunch and pick their brains on the program—likes and dislikes, opportunities, benefits, career goals and more.

It is an absolutely great experience that I highly recommend taking advantage of. I know it definitely helped me get a better sense of what I was in for and what this program would provide me with moving forward.

Although Katie had been a phenomenal ambassador and extremely helpful via e-mail and blogs, it was so great to finally meet her and talk with her and her classmates face-to-face about the details of the program. It was also beneficial for me to see the department and what technology and capabilities it provided to the students.

That day was incredible and “sealed the deal” for me.

What is truly incredible is everything I talked about with Katie and her classmates, I have since witnessed first-hand. All those opportunities and capabilities have come to life—but I’ll dive into that topic in my next blog, so make sure you check back in for that one.

There are so many chances to really make the most of your time in this program and to not only gain hands-on experience, but also better yourself in your media field of choice.

Again, whether you’re on the fence or know for a fact Columbia is the next chapter of your life, I hope to see you at Admitted Student Day!